Define synesthesia, explain its neurological basis, and provide an example

What will be an ideal response?


Synesthesia is a condition in which stimulation of one sense results in the automatic and involuntary stimulation of another sense.

Research shows that in people with synesthesia, the signals that come from sensory organs, such as the eyes and ears, travel to places in the brain they shouldn't necessarily be going to, which leads to the signals being interpreted as multiple sensations. For example, when people
experience color sensations when hearing words, hearing words activates areas of the brain responsible for both hearing and vision.

Perceiving colors with letters and numbers is a common form of synesthesia. Less common are experiencing sounds with smells and shapes with flavors. Sometimes, the associations are logical, such as the smell of lemons leading people to see yellow. But other times, the associations are surprising, such as the smell of lavender leading people to feel stickiness.

Psychology

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Psychology